EWING GRAHAME

Moving north of the Border has allowed Scott Sinclair to rebuild his career and his self-belief but his manager, Brendan Rodgers, claims that he could yet turn out to be the hammer of the Scots when Gareth Southgate’s England team travel to Hampden for the crucial World Cup qualifying tie on 10 June.

The 28-year-old Celtic winger was capped at every level up to Under-21 but a disastrous £8 million move from Swansea City to Manchester City in 2012 derailed his career and a subsequent transfer to Aston Villa failed to arrest that decline.

It has only been since he was reunited with Rodgers, who had previously worked with him at Chelsea and Swansea, that he has rediscovered his best form.

Sinclair, pictured, has already scored 23 times this season, which compares favourably with the 18 he amassed in his five previous campaigns in England. Rodgers is convinced that Sinclair has shown enough at home and abroad to justify England manager Southgate awarding him his first full cap.

“It’s interesting because Gareth played 4-3-3 against Germany in one of their recent games and that’s a system which we use at times so he knows the role,” he said.

“[With that formation] you need people who are direct and who can score goals and play.

“What Scotty has shown – which maybe he hadn’t in the last few years – is that he has the confidence to do that.

“Scotty has shown that and he meets the criteria with England; he is fast, he is strong, he has good technique, he has an eye for goal, he is robust and he works hard.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s called up because, having worked with some of the players at that level closely, I know he is certainly there too.”